Sama Sama Mandala Creations
Lucas Rockefeller, age 10, 5th year Sama Sama camper and Noelle Rockefeller, age 7, 2nd year Sama Sama Camper
In Sama Sama we learn that it is polite to say Tabi Tabi Po to the land so that we respect the land that is allowing us to stay in and learn. Mandalas are a kind of art where you start with one drawing or material in the center and grow out with more drawings or material. We made mandalas out of things we found on the ground in the farm. For Some of the mandalas we made, we used sanga, buloklok, and bato, or sticks, flowers, and rocks in English. - Lucas
When we went to Hummingbird Farm, it was fun because when we made the mandalas it made me feel masaya or happy. I liked how pretty they were and I had fun collecting the materials. Mandalas start small in the middle and they grow out to something big and beautiful. They made me feel kalmado, or calm because you can focus on it while you're doing it and you don't have to think of other things. This summer we learned about gatong, or fuel for our fire. Making mandalas can be a form of gatong and also paghihilom or healing which is our theme this week. Another theme we had was pagsasalansan, or organizing mindfully, which is what you do when you make a mandala. - Noelle
Kadean Alon Serafino-Agar, age 9 1/2 and Kalia Liwanag Serafino-Agar, age 6 1/2
My name is Kalia, a.k.a. Ia. I’m 6 years old. This is my first summer with Sama Sama Cooperative, but I was a saling pusa (cat join in) during Kuya Kadean’s years in Sama Sama. The SF Pod learned about the Hummingbird Farm from Tere from PODER. She told us about the flowers and flowers’ medicine from the farm. After, Tatay Jason (a.k.a. Tafoo) did mindfulness with us.
Nanay Helen taught us about mandalas. We started to look for items for our mandalas in the Hummingbird Farm. I gathered flowers and rocks. I said, “Tabi tabi, po!” I needed help carrying the rocks. I got help from Kuya Dean-Dean (a.k.a. Kadean). I got different kinds of yellow, pink, white and purple flowers. When I got the yellow flower, there was yellow pollen on my hand. I like the big, pink flower because the middle has little yellow flowers. They look Hawaiian. Kuya Dean-Dean made a rock entrance to the flowers.
My mandala is beautiful because there are different kinds of flowers. I like doing this kind of art.
***
My name is Kadean. I am 9 years old. This is my 3rd year in Sama Sama. My kasamas and I say, “Tabi tabi, po” for a safe passage through Hummingbird Farm. I gathered sticks and branches from the farm.
I started to take the sticks and branches to the place where we were making our mandalas. I, first, made a tent out of branches, but the tent didn't have enough sticks to cover it so it fell over. I built a circle with the rocks.
The rocks were originally in a circle, but the circle was somewhat unstable. It had two layers so I took out the second layer and shifted the rocks to make the start of the spiral because I like to make spirals. I added sticks to complete the spiral. The rocks mean protection. Spiral means almost a cycle, but always moving on.
Then my sister added flowers to the mandala. I thought that we were making a circle, but Kalia thought that we were making a castle. Later, I found this out because she made tower with a “queen” flower.
I felt calm when making the mandala because I’m just putting stuff randomly and rearranging.
Soluna, age 12
Yesterday was the second day of my seventh year of Sama Sama. Sama Sama is a Filipino summer camp that teaches us about Filipino culture, dance, martial arts, language, and music. They also teach us about social justice and environmental justice. They teach us about unity and solidarity, pagkakaisa. We learn how we can help others and how we can be in solidarity with them.
Sama Sama has always been so much about being out in nature, so it was no surprise that some of us went to the Hummingbird Farm in San Francisco. We learned about how many things in the farm were indigenous plants that they had gathered from around the area. We were told how the organization PODER wanted to create this farm because often when Latino immigrant families leave their native country they lose connection to the land and their roots. These families sometimes start to eat unhealthy food and may get health conditions. PODER realized that these families would not have these health conditions if they hadn’t lost connection to land and thought a farm could be healing. The loss of connection to land and unhealthy eating has also happened for many Filipino immigrants. Filipino food is not always the healthiest but teachers in Sama Sama, like Tito Jay and Tita Aileen, have shown us that Filipino food can be healthy or vegan and still be delicious.
During our time at the farm we also learned about mandalas. Mandalas are circular designs that you can create to calm and center yourself. People often destroy their mandalas after creating them to show that nothing lasts forever and change is okay and can be accepted. So many things are happening in the world right now and we must learn to accept change as it comes. We must also remember that this won’t last forever. Sama Sama’s theme this year is Fire and Resistance. While fire is a good thing that brings light and passion, we must not let the fire get too big, or destruction might happen. We can create mandalas to bring balance to ourselves. By making mandalas we are not letting the fire take control.
Myles Williams, age 10
My name is Myles. I am 10 years old and I live in San Francisco. I am a 5th year Sama Sama camper and I get excited about this camp every year. The other day we visited Hummingbird Farm to connect with nature, go on a hike, and to make mandalas. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic that’s happening in the world right now, I haven’t seen my kasama in a long time. Since we’ve been indoors we need a way to reconnect with nature, friends, and family, in a physically safe way.
After we practiced mindfulness with Tito Jason and before we enjoyed a hike with Tita Helen, each pamilya created a mandala. For my mandala, I scavenged the ground for materials to use. We all asked for permission to enter the garden by saying “Tabi tabi, po!” The natural beings in the garden and the animals seemed happy to see us, and they let us use their gifts to create our mandalas. My mom and I found multiple small purple flowers, sticks, rocks, a really cool white flower, and some yellow flowers. We used the white flower in the middle. On one side we used the yellow flowers; on the other side we used some purple flowers. We surrounded the flowers with sticks. We added one rock to the top of the mandala and another rock at its opposite end.
To me, my mandala signifies imperfection, and that everyone should be themselves in being imperfect. No one is perfect and we should like ourselves for how we are and not judge others on how they look. In Sama Sama we learn about Kapwa, and that means “I am You and You are Me.” I wish we could have stayed at Hummingbird Farm the whole day!
***
Sama Sama Summer Camp is an outdoor day camp for children ages 5-11 years-old. Located in the East Bay, the camp is designed to provide children a fun, engaging and critical way of exploring the intersections of culture, arts, and ecology. With Tagalog language immersion, indigenous music, dance, and exploration of our ecological heritage, Sama Sama is a summer camp experience unlike any other.
Sama, means “All together” in Tagalog. As a cooperative-run camp, families contribute their time, resources, and talent to create an enriching experience. Sama Sama is also a space for intergenerational learning and teaching. Our young people and elders have much to share with one another, and through dialogue, interactive learning opportunities, we can better understand ourselves, our history, and our part in the Philippine diaspora.